so we are on a walk today, and Oakley is on his "ok" command which means he is free to roam w/in reasonable distance (just NOT across streets).

Anyways, he is sniffing around up on this HUGE snow drift, like a foot away from this wall that is supposed to be at least 5' high, but b/c of all the snow in this one spot, its prob only a foot high. All of a sudden a squirrel comes out of nowhere and leaps over the wall into a tree.

Oakley follows. Cept of course he doesn't land in a tree, but drops the 5-6' to the ground.

Idiot dog is not stuck in someone else's backyard

For split second my heart was pounding cause if their dog had been in there, who knows...but luckily he wasn't. So all I could do was laugh at him

I went and knocked on their door (there was a gate, but i didnt want to look like i was trespassing or something...and the guy was really nice, and was laughing at Oakley too and helped get him out, haha.

i agree, not only is that a dagerous situation (he could have seriously hurt himself unexpectedly falling 5-6' or could have gotten into a bad scuff with the resident dog who would have been 100***37; within its right to attack a trespassing canine sorry...)
but MOST places allowing your dog offleash is illegal...i dont know the leashlaws where you are but its simply irresponsible to put your dog in that situation no matter how well hes supposedly trained in recall and USED to being off leash.

if you want to give him the freedom of being ofleash get a long line a 50ft trainig leash or one of the flexie HORSE lunges (much stronger than the dog felxies)

theres way too many WHAT ifs or Could bes to make it Funny in any way shape or form that he fell...

my dogs are offleash ONLY when in a securly fenced area or LARGE open feild expanse where ive gotten permission to allow my dogs offleash!

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I wonder if other dogs think Cresties are members of some weird religious cult?

Well, you seem like you don't care that he dropped five to six feet. He could've really hurt himself.

course he could have but, uhh...he didnt?

sorry, we are talking about a dog who has voluntarily jumped off a second story balcony...who can climb a 7' fence, and then jumps off it...who has jumped at full speed and crashed head first into a tree (and just got up and kept running).

sorry, we are talking about a dog who has voluntarily jumped off a second story balcony...who can climb a 7' fence, and then jumps off it...who has jumped at full speed and crashed head first into a tree (and just got up and kept running).

I'm pretty sure he was aware of the drop when he leaped...

Just because he's jumped off high places before and he chooses to, doesn't mean you should let him. He could still get hurt even though he hasn't in the past.

Just because he's jumped off high places before and he chooses to, doesn't mean you should let him. He could still get hurt even though he hasn't in the past.

I didnt "let" him any of the times. The examples I gave both occurred when he was supposedly adequately confined (and if you try telling me that you would assume a 7' kennel for a 30 lb dog isn't adequate...course we have had to put chicken wire all over the kennel now to prevent this from happening again but c'mon, no one saw that one coming)

Are you a parent? Are you one of those who don't let their kids do anything? Kids/dogs could get hurt doing practically anything...its called living.

I'm not gonna confine him from doing what he absolutely LIVES for. Running, jumping & playing. We would probably have to walk him 5 hours a day to get even half is energy out if he were just on a leash (on top of all the indoor play we already do with him...). Thats kinda not possible.